On Tuesdays, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster, Ron Hays, visits with Ben Hale of Western Livestock Auctions as he talks about the latest in the markets and more. Established in 1995, Western has grown into a multi-generational family-owned and operated business and stands as a symbol of tradition, excellence, and a deep-rooted passion for the cattle industry. Western Livestock Auctions is located in Oklahoma City, Woodward, and Comanche.
On Monday, April 1st, at Oklahoma National Stockyards, Hale said runs were around 3500 compared to 7540 one year ago. Hale said the lower numbers may be due to the Easter holiday, but plenty of grass and wheat are available to support tighter cattle numbers.
“It will be interesting to see what we wind up with next week to see if we are just going to continue these shorter numbers,” Hale said.
Hale also talked about the drop in the cattle markets that occurred after Avian Influenza was detected in a dairy worker who had contact with HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) infected cattle in Texas. Today, the market has seen some recovery, but Hale said it is not back to where it was.
In the Comanche and Woodward markets, Hale expects decent runs this week, larger than last week’s.
Hale can be contacted at 940-631-2333.
